Louisville blossoms as a Boulder County entertainment destination

Big time in a small town

Unless you happen to be 10 years old and Dad wants to take the family out for a pizza with La Quercia prosciutto that the grownups can wash down with their choice of 21 beers.

Or unless Dad and Mom want to get a sitter and go out for a dinner of contemporary Italian or modern American cuisine and listen to local music afterward. They might even learn to dance on salsa night at a local bar or sip margaritas on a crazy-busy outdoor patio.

While Boulderites have been giving themselves some well-deserved pats on the back for the diversity and interest of their own dining scene, they may have failed to notice the very fun, very good, very local dining destination arising to their east.

Chris Royster, sous chef at Zucca Italian Ristorante in Louisville, prepares a plate of pasta during a dinner rush on Saturday.

This year, four new, independently owned restaurants -- Zucca, Lucky Pie, Alley Cat and Cactus Wheel -- have opened in Louisville's full-of-charm downtown, building on some strong culinary offerings already in place.

The pride of community of Louisville residents and efforts of the Downtown Business Association, with the city's help, to nurture business in its unique downtown hasn't hurt, either.

Walk down Main Street on a weekend night and you'll see would-be diners strolling the sidewalk checking out eaters sipping cocktails and nibbling on plates of sophisticated chow on outdoor decks put in place by the Downtown Business Association to drive restaurant traffic.

Creating a 'scene'

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"There's enough choices now so you can just come to Louisville," says Jim Cohen, owner of the Empire Lounge on Main Street. "You don't have to decide where you're going to go (beforehand), you can sort of fall into something."

Cohen and other Louisville restaurateurs say they are not only drawing locals, but have also seen an influx of customers from Superior, Lafayette, Erie, Broomfield and, yes, Boulder.

"People used to automatically go to downtown Boulder," he says.

Owen Mellish, 5, pedals behind his dad, Dan, as Rich, back right, and 6-year-old Eli Galdieri race to catch up on their way to dinner at the Empire Lounge & Restaurant in Louisville on Saturday.

Mark Zaremba, president of the Downtown Business Association and self-described food lover, tracks the restaurant boom to the town's summertime Street Faire, which got its start in 2001 and moved to its current location in 2003.

"The success of the fair inspired the Empire to open (with) Jim Cohen, a James Beard Award finalist. When the Empire opened, it started rolling from there," Zaremba says.

Now the Louisville streetscape, further enhanced when several restaurants added garage-style doors to connect the indoors to the patio, is attracting more than just neighborhood folk.

"Sitting outside, it's kind of a scene," Cohen says. "My restaurant changed completely. The focal point used to be around the bar. This summer, we opened up the windows wide open and had dining outside. The bar is not half as busy as it used to be, but we were crazy outside."

Louisville's historic downtown has always been picturesque and has always had a few restaurants, notably the Blue Parrot, an old-school Italian stalwart that has been serving its thick noodles and signature sauce since 1919. Karen's in the Country, now the Huckleberry, was a fixture in town for 25 years. And many families ate their pizza at Pasquini's, which became the Empire in 2007.

"A lot of people keep the community spirit alive in our town," says Lenny Martinelli, owner of the Huckleberry for seven years, and Zucca, which was part of the new crop of restaurants.

He says the number of restaurants now going strong in Louisville had been important in creating a dining destination.

"I definitely believe in critical mass. This is what the food industry is all about nowadays," says Martinelli, who also is the proprietor of the Dushanbe Teahouse, Aji and Leaf in Boulder.

Nightlife

Martinelli says the decks, which will be removed Oct. 1, have created a "wonderful street scene." They have also added to something Louisville never had much of before: a nightlife.

He points to the Waterloo, which serves up local music along with its natural beef sliders; Alley Cat, which offers sports, poker, salsa night, jazz and has a dance floor; and the Cactus Wheel, which calls itself a modern taqueria, with margaritas.

"They are extending the life of the whole downtown experience," he says. "You can watch sports on TV and have nice drinks with friends. Instead of going into Boulder and risking drinking and driving, a lot of people are walking downtown now."

Amy Lyall, a manager at Waterloo for 21/2 years, says she's seen changes in Louisville in that time.

"I think people make it more their entertainment destination," she says, adding that some of the later traffic is driven by servers from other restaurants trickling into the Waterloo and other bars after work.

"There's a really strong restaurant community here," she says.

Homegrown

Lori Blanchard, co-owner of Alley Cat, with her partner Jacque Blanchard, says they opened the restaurant and bar because, as residents, it was the kind of place they wanted in Louisville.

When Senor T's went out of business, they knew they had the perfect spot.

"We wanted to have a place with some live music. That was really important to us," she says, adding that a dance floor was also a key part of the equation.

Brandon McManus, who owns Lucky Pie and also lives in Louisville, sold his interest to his then-partner in the Empire Lounge to open Lucky, and the place has taken off.

"It was something that was lacking," McManus said. "There's a lot of chain pizza here, but there was no place to go sit and get pizza."

To appeal to all members of the family, he offered a few extras, such as artisanal ingredients, antipasti and salads, as well as the 21 beer taps. He says the place works for diners who come in from Westminster, Broomfield and Erie, but also for locals.

"Most people I know who live in Louisville love living here," he says. "There's a real sense of community. I don't know if that exists in a lot of other places."

For outsiders, McManus says the place offers plenty of choices for food and drink without the parking problems (it's free and there's enough of it) and big crowds.

Lyall, of Waterloo, says the largely local clientele also keeps the standards high.

"We have a lot of repeat customers. You're held to a higher standard making sure they're happy. You know they're coming back," she says.

Martinelli, a Louisville resident who bestrides the restaurant scene in Louisville and Boulder, puts it like this:

"It's very cool to watch our little town blossom in the last couple of years."

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